The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbine blades and, more particularly, to methods for testing turbine blades.
Gas turbine engines typically include turbine blades that are gas-cooled. To facilitate gas-cooling, the turbine blades may include internal passages that route cooling gas to openings formed in the exterior surfaces of the turbine blades. Accordingly, the passages and openings enable thin films of cooling gas to flow about the exterior of the turbine blades. The sizes and shapes of the passages and openings of the turbine blades may vary from one turbine blade to the next. Therefore, airflow properties of each turbine blade are typically tested multiple times during the manufacturing process to ensure proper airflow around the turbine blades. Between airflow property tests, the passages and openings in the turbine blades may be occluded or modified due to problems that occur in the production process. Unfortunately, testing the airflow properties of each turbine blade multiple times during the manufacturing process may be time consuming and costly.